Page 45 - Procurement guidelines for smart sustainable cities - A U4SSC deliverable

3.1.1 What is emergency buying?

Emergency buying is when public officials and stakeholders buy products and services with extreme
urgency in response to an unforeseen event such as a health crisis or natural disaster.

Under these circumstances, it can be difficult for buyers to maintain normal standards of fairness,
open competition and value for money. At the same time, suppliers may be under significant stress
and unable to provide services as normal.

To help mitigate the effects of an emergency, buyers can take several practical steps. These can
include:

• clarifying when emergency conditions apply;

• preparing for emergency situations;
• using more flexible procedures to buy faster; and

• supporting suppliers while ensuring standards are met.

3.1.2 Defining an emergency

Clarify when emergency conditions apply to ensure that procedures can be used appropriately.

Why it's important

It is important to distinguish between genuine emergencies – sudden, unforeseen events requiring
an immediate response – and urgent situations created because of the lack of planning.

Without a clear distinction, buyers and suppliers will not know when emergency buying procedures
are appropriate or legal.

What this means

Public officials and stakeholders should clarify when emergency buying conditions apply. For
example, during:

• natural disasters: such as earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, flooding, fires or
contamination;
• health emergencies: such as a pandemic or food safety incident;

• failures of critical infrastructure or equipment;
• political emergencies: such as war, coup or civil insurrection; and

• terrorist attacks, serious crimes or a major cybersecurity emergency.

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